WAILUKU - Former Kihei resident Melissa Torres is the new morning traffic anchor for a CBS affiliate in Las Vegas.
The 25-year-old Maui High School graduate had her television start as a reporter and co-anchor of the former "On Maui" newsmagazine show on local cable television about five years ago.
Now she's on television every weekday morning on KLAS' "Eyewitness News This Morning."
"I love it," she said recently from Las Vegas. "(But) it took a little while getting used to."
Torres is on the air from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and arrives at work at 4 a.m.
"So it's pretty early," she said.
From the time she arrives in the studio, she is multitasking and watching monitors to see where traffic is building up or if there are any accidents to report.
She then is on the air about every 10 minutes to update viewers on what their morning commutes will be like.
In addition, she produces a package every day called "What's Driving You Crazy," where she addresses traffic and road questions from viewers.
"There's a lot of construction in Vegas right now," she said.
Torres started at KLAS last month and admits she is still scaling the learning curve in her first real television job.
Prior to joining the television station, Torres was on radio, where she handled traffic reporting for the Metro Network on some of Las Vegas' highest-rated radio stations. She received a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in December 2007.
Torres said she didn't want to be a reporter but wanted to do something in the news department and possibly become an anchor.
Before going to college at UNLV, Torres learned basic production skills as well as how to use a camera and how to speak in front of the camera while attending Maui Community College, where she graduated with an associate arts degree more than five years ago.
She also volunteered at Akaku: Maui Community Television.
Her parents, Steve and Sarah Torres of Kihei, said their daughter also had a summer internship at CBS News Studio Center in New York, while she was a student at UNLV.
During the internship, Torres worked on "The Morning Show" - after waking up early each day and catching the subway. She worked with key producers and directors as well as on projects with on-air personalities including Katie Couric.
According to Torres' biographical piece on KLAS' Web site, she was born in San Pedro, Calif., and moved to Maui with her family when she was 5 years old. She also has done modeling work for fashion catalogs and television commercials.
Torres, who also attended Kihei Elementary and Lokelani Intermediate schools, said she visits Maui twice a year and in Las Vegas she enjoys relaxing and hanging out with friends, although she's not into gambling.
"I do enjoy going to a buffet now and then," she said with a laugh.
But she misses the beach.
"I love Las Vegas; if it only had a beach it would be perfect."
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
